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| OIL coach Jamshed Nassiri (standing third from right) poses with the team in Nagaon on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos |
Nagaon, Oct. 6: Three-time winners Oil India Limited (OIL) of Duliajan today regained the Independence Day Cup all-India football championship with a convincing 2-0 victory over Kidderpore Sporting Club of Calcutta at the Nurul Amin Stadium here.
This was second title in a month for the Jamshed Nassiri-coached OIL team after they retained the Assam Tea Planters? Association (ATPA) Shield in Jorhat defeating Assam State Electricity Board SC 1-0 in the final.
OIL, champions in 1976, 1977 and 1994 and runners-up in 2002 and 2003, made short work of the Calcutta team amid heavy rain throughout the match.
Though play was sluggish, comparatively poor in the first half, OIL pushed for the kill after the goalless break and pumped in two goals in quick succession in the 79th and 83rd minutes.
Skipper Mrinal Boro and Birjab Mushahari brought an end to the uncertainty creeping into match after 75 minutes of play.
The slippery field and a touch of frayed tempers attracted the yellow card, too.
OIL left stopper Biplob Sonowal, left wingback Ratul Sonowal, linkman Probodh Gogoi and defender Laltu Biswas of Kidderpore were booked for infringements.
En route to the final, OIL defeated Mizoram Police 3-2 and Kidderpore 4-0 in the two quarterfinals and ASEB 2-0 in the semi-final.
Kidderpore defeated Mizoram Police 3-2 in the first quarterfinal, lost the second to OIL, but defeated Guwahati super league champions Assam Police Blues 2-0 in the second semi-final.
Defending champions Steel Authority of India (SAIL)?s hurried exit from this edition of the meet has disappointed football fans in this central Assam town.
SAIL defeated OIL 2-1 in the final last year, while the Duliajan-based team lost to East Bangal 0-2 in 2002.
?The performance of all the teams is degrading day by day. Players like Amal Phukan, Reboti Phukan, Domboru Khanikar of OIL and Sudhir Roy and Kamal Nath of Assam Police are no longer there to show their mastery on the ground,? veteran sports journalist Jadav Saikia said.
The Teams
Oil India XI: Durlov Gogoi, Rubul Gogoi, Monoj Gogoi, Biplob Sonowal, Ratul Sonowal, Probodh Gogoi, H.L. Rauta, Brijab Mushahary, Durga Boro, Mrinal Boro, Bhimkanta Sonowal, Jitu Chetry, Jadumony Tamuly, Jotin Das, Dhananjoy Boro, Bitu Gogoi, Bhupen Gogoi and Tridip Khaund. Coach: Jamshed Nassiri. Manager: Arun Kumar Borthakur
Kidderpore Sporting Club: Bhaskar Naskar, S.K. Jakir Hossain, Avijit Ghosh, Laltu Biswas, Amarlal Dey, Prasanta Sinha, James Uguw, Okwy Okonkwo, Diamond Star, Sanjib Ghosh, Prasanta Sarkar, Susanta Debnath, Suvadip Mukherjee, Subhas Ghosh, Soumen Mondal, Rahmat Ali, Muhammad Jallil. Coach: Amitabha Ghosh. Manager: S.K. Abdulla.
